Leading Indonesian artists reflect the changing times

Leading Indonesian artists reflect the changing times

JAKARTA: Pancaroba Indonesia, a time of dramatic transition between the seasons, is the title of an exhibition of new works by seven Indonesian artists reflecting the current political and social transformations in Indonesia.

Taking place in Oakland, California, the exhibition, which will run until Oct. 30, includes works on canvas and paper, as well as installation pieces and performances.

Pancaroba is an Indonesian word describing the transition time between the wet and dry seasons, when shifting trade winds necessitate constant readjustments to the fluctuating weather conditions. It's a time when people find themselves unsettled: too cold and then too hot.

For Indonesian artists the last year and a half has been a period of political pancaroba. The political transitions have led to the greatest era of artistic freedom in the country's history. The enfeebling and eventual toppling of Soeharto's New Order government has created an atmosphere in which artists are making and publicly exhibiting works with critical political content, and sexual themes previously unseen.

Pancaroba Indonesia features works from the time of the Indonesian monetary crisis, through to the student demonstrations and farmers' protests, to Soeharto's resignation, which culminated in the first free elections in a generation. The works included in Pancaroba Indonesia capture the thoughts, feelings and aspirations of a nation through the eyes of its most passionate artists: Entang Wiharso, Tisna Sanjaya, Bramantyo, Isa Perkasa, Rachmat Jabaril, Popok Tri Wahyudi and Aris Prabowo.

The majority of the works in Pancaroba Indonesia are figurative, ranging from fast gestural works on canvas to finely detailed works on paper. Most project a disquieting dark humor that leaves the viewer feeling uneasy about laughing at the situation Indonesia is facing today.

Also included in the exhibition is an installation and several performance pieces, some video taped in Indonesia and some live in the gallery. Collectively the works serve as a record of the artists' perceptions of Soeharto's New Order, the economic crisis and demonstrations and riots that led to his resignation and the ensuing instability throughout the country.

Some of the stories told are true and some are fiction, but they all challenge the viewer to reexamine everything they think they know about Indonesia during the past two years of economic and political turmoil.

Tisna Sanjaya's stand out piece is an installation of a shop selling souvenir T-shirts for "Visit Indonesia Year". Each T- shirt has a tattered touristy "sunset painting". Stitched on the front of each T-shirt is the name of one of Indonesia's politically unstable hot spots (such as Aceh and East Timor) printed in bold gold letters underneath. The banner over the warung literally depicts the artist as "every man".

Tisna is the Golkar supporter wearing a gold T-shirt waving a handful of rupiah, presumably having just been paid for voting. He is also the Golkar politician wearing a smart Golkar batik shirt, waving a handful of rice fresh from the field as if to demonstrate how devoted he is to "the real issues of people". He is also the soldier and the group of sick and hungry farmers the soldier is attempting to keep away from the Golkar politician and supporter.

Isa Perkasa's haunting drawings are small ballpoint pen on paper works, and large pencil on canvas pieces. Made in late 1997, the small pen on paper works were Isa's prediction of the future as well as a comment on events already taking place.

These works comment on the rampant New Order corruption, the call to bring Soeharto to accountability, and political scapegoating; those with power in late 1997 were trying to place the blame for the country's problems on a few unlucky individuals who had to take the blame.

Rahmat Jabaril's dark and brooding canvases offer snapshots of events that have taken place in West Java during the past two years. Painted quickly with a pallet of ice whites, blue and black, his expressive brushwork depicts demonstrations and riots he attended.

Rahmat's paintings leave the viewer with the sensation that one had also observed the ominous scenes from an adjacent hillside through the lens of a camera blurring as drops of rain fell.

Bramantyo Prijosusilo's two most memorable works in Pancaroba Indonesia are from a series of large colorful canvases he painted for a public exhibition titled Reformasi Masturbasi, which toured the streets of Yogyakarta via horse cart in February this year.

As the exhibition title suggests the works are both highly political and explicitly sexual, and the two most memorable works each depict Soeharto in situations that would have previously landed the artist in prison.

In Pandhito Wuda Sunarto is portrayed in the nude as a wayang character with other dismembered wayang characters as well as a satellite floating above him and snarling dogs moving in from below to lick his reptile-like fingers and toes. Bram's use of vivid color and a native style add levity that pushes the outrageous content so far over the edge that the paintings are at once poignant commentary and also hilarious jabs at the previously untouchable president.

Popok Tri Wahyudi's dynamic canvases are life-sized frames from a sinister comic book. His talents as a comic book illustrator are evident In both his illustrative painting style and narrative imagery.

Aris Prabowo's painstakingly detailed works on paper are so finely crafted that one is as much in awe of his highly developed drawing skills as one is captivated by the mind-bending content.

Aris' works depict chilling tales, for example a child's playroom comes to life in a militaristic nightmare, a commentary on the dangers of the U.S. trained and supplied Indonesian Army spinning out of control as the Indonesian government continues to lose its feeble grip on the military.

Entang Wiharso's enormous paintings are doors that open and invite the viewer into eerie corridors of his mind. His palette of dark blues, black, gold and red refers to the traditional muted colors of Javanese royalty and mystical life. His imagery draws on a complex blend of traditional and modern influences, ranging from traditional Javanese wayang figures to Bart Simpson.

Entang's works on canvas in Pancaroba Indonesia are built up with complex layers of oil, pencil and paint that he has scratched off to reveal forms that hover between imagination and reality.

-- Pacific Bridge Contemporary Southeast Asian Art